Cheese emulsification



Patented m 11, 1943 T UNITED STATE 5 :PATENT OFFICE cnsasa aMULsmica'rroN 1 James D. Ingle, Chicago. 111., assignor to In- '-dustrial Patents Corporation, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware w zapplication ocam' so, 1939, semi in. 301,944

l3 Claiins.

of manua method ofpreparing pasteurized processed cheese which possesses a natural or true flavor the cheese as it is in cheese made with the usual emulsifying agents of the prior art.

the type of cheese emulsion. The type of emulwhich is not bound up in the cheese as it is in cheese made with the'commonly known emulsifying agents.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the description and claims which follow.

The present invention contemplates the use of certain specific ammonium salts as emulsifying or fluxing 88 38- in the preparation of processed cheese. These-ammonium salts are ammonium metaphosphate, diammonium dispdium pyro phosphate, and mixtures of the enumerated salts.

The presence of various materials in cheese products does not afl'ect adversely the action of the emulsifying agents.

In the manufacture of processed cheese, a normallysolid cheese is comminuted or flnely divided and, placedin a suitable vessel provided with a steamjacket. The cheese mass is heated in the vessel'to a suitable pasteurizing temperature and is maintained at this temperature for a short period of time, During the heating and pasteurizing treatment, the cheese mass is constantly agitated. s e V Upon coolingof the mass, the cheese generally does not set to a flrm, solid body, and the resulting'product does not possess the requisites for a taining a better'distribution of the emulsifying good slicing cheese. Under these conditions the .40 agent in the cheese mass.

cheese becomes grainy and sandy and presentsan unattractive appearance.

Various emulsifying agents or fluxing agents have been proposed, including tartrates, citrates,

45 v re s Fahrenheit. The mass is maintained at lactatem and certain types of phosphates, partlcularly sodium polyphosphates.

I have discovered that the ammonium sal enumerated above possess an unusual property of processed cheese product having a very,- smooth pasteurized processedcheese which possesses a The flavor of processed cheese is'fdpendent upon the proportion of aged cheese employed in the preparation of the processed cheese and on sion which is produced is, in turn, dependent upon the emulsifying agent employed. Certain emulsifying agents produce a product which is I more or less gummy-when chewed, and the natural or true cheese flavor is not readily apparent, and the flavor is said to be bound up in the cheese. In aged cheese'which has not been processed and in processed cheese prepared in accordance "with .the present invention, the natural or true cheese flavor becomes readily apparent as soon as the cheese is masticated, and

it is said that the flavor is not bound up in the cheese.

Although the emulsifyingagents may be u ed in a'wide variety of cheese, my invention will be illustrated speciflcallyby the followin as applied to Cheddar cheese.

A quantity of Cheddar cheese is finely divided or comminuted and placedin a steam jacketed vessel. The cheese is heated by passing steam through ,the Jacket of the vessel and a small quantity of the emulsifyingv agentand water added to the cheese. The proportion of emulsifying salt and water ,is not critical, and I prefer to add from 1 per centto-Bjper cent of the emulsifying salt and about 10 per cent water. The emulsifying salt. and water .are preferably added as a solution of the emulsifying agent in the water. It is not essential, however, thatthe emulsifying agent be dissolved in waterbefore adding it to the cheese. The water'aldsin obuntil the mass reaches a pasteurizing tempera-- f softening'the casein of cheese to produce a s ture, which may be'from degrees to dothe pasteurizing temperature fora periodof time sufllcient to pasteurize the cheese completely, which may be from one halfhour to one hour. The pasteurization temperature and'time aie variable, as is well known. The mass is then discharged into molds and allowed to cool. v

The pasteurized, processed cheese possesses-a much smoother body and textureothan. pasteur' h the'prior fized processed cheese prepared natural cheese flavor which is not bound up in 55 art emulsifying agents, posse es natural g example cheese flavor which is not bound up in the cheese as it is in cheese made with the common emulsiiyin agents.

Iclaim: v 1. In the method of processing cheese the steps which comprise adding to and incorporating in cheese a small quantity of a substance, selected from the group consisting of ammonium metaphosphate, diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, and mixtures of these salts, and

pasteurizing the mass.

2. In the -method of processing cheese the steps which comprise adding to and incorporat- 7 cent to about per cent metaphos- .phate, agitating the mass. and heatlng the mass 8 perature of from about 130 degrees t k about 180 degrees F. V V i 9. The method of processing cheese which comprises adding to cheese from about 1 per cent to about 5 per cent diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, agitating the mass, and heating ing in cheese a small quantity of ammonium metaphosphate, and pasteurizing the mass.

step which comprises adding to and incorporating in cheese a small quantity or diammonium disodium pyrophosphate.

4. The method of. processing cheese which comprises adding to cheese a small amount or a substance selected from the group consisting of ammonium metaphosphate. diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, and mixtures of these salts. agitating the mass, and heating the mass "the mass, and heating the mass to a pasteurizin temperature. a

7. The method or processing cheese which comprises adding to cheese rrom about 1 per cent to about 5 per cent of a substanceselected from the group consisting of ammonium metaphosphate, diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, and mixturesot these salts, agitating the 3. In the method '0! processing cheese the comprises adding to cheese from about 1 per the mass to a temperature of from about 130 degrees to about 180 degrees F.

10. The method" oi processing cheese which cent to about 5per cent of a substance selected from the group consisting of ammonium metaphosphate, diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, and mixtures of these'salts, and about 10 per cent water, agitating the mass, heating the mass to a' pasteurizing temperature or irom about 130 degrees to about 180 degrees F., maintaining the mass at a pasteurizing temperature I quantity of ammonium metaphosphate.

until pasteurization is complete, and transferring the mass into molds and allowing the mass V .tocoolinthemolds.

. 11. As an article of manufacture, a processed cheese product comprising pasteurized cheese and a small quantity oi a substance selected from the group consisting of ammonium metaphosphate, diammonium disodium pymphosphate. and mixtures of these salts.

12. As an article of manufacture, a processed cheese comprising pasteurized cheese and a small 13. Asan article of manufacture, a processed cheese comprising pasteurized cheese and a small quantity of diammonium disodium pyrophosphate, v v

JAMES'D/INGLE. 

